Former England football manager Terry Venables has died at the age of 80.
His family said he “passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness”.
Venables led the men’s national team to the 1996 European Championships semi-finals, where Germany eliminated them on penalties at Wembley.
During his managerial career, he also was in charge of clubs including Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers and Barcelona.
In Spain, Venables, often referred to as El Tel, won the domestic title with the Catalan side in the 1984/85 season and then claimed the FA Cup with Tottenham in 1991.
In tribute, Spurs will hold a minute’s applause, and players will wear black armbands for today’s fixture at home to Aston Villa.
As a player, Venables represented sides including Chelsea, Spurs and QPR and made more than 500 appearances.
But he made his real mark as a coach.
Gary Lineker, who Venables signed for Barcelona from Everton in 1986 and then brought to Tottenham in 1989 after he took the job at White Hart Lane, was among those paying tribute.
“Devastated to hear that Terry Venables has died. The best, most innovative coach that I had the privilege and pleasure of playing for,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“He was much more, though, than just a great manager, he was vibrant, he was charming, he was witty, he was a friend.”
Former England striker Alan Shearer, who spearheaded Venables’ Euro 96 side, posted on X: “Extremely sad news the great Terry Venables has passed away. RIP Boss. I owe you so much. You were amazing.”
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